Manufacture of elastic tubular garments



Aug- 3, 1 R. PICKLES ETAL.

MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC TUBULAR GARMENTS Filed April 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Shet 0 0 000 00000000000000 000 0000 0000 0000 00000o000000000000000o00 0000 000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000 000000000000000000000 030000000000000000000 nunooo00oooooo9000oooo 00000000000000000000 00000000000000000000 000000000000000000000 00000 000000000000 0 1943- R. PICKLES ETAL 2,325,977

MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC TUBULAR GARMENTS Filed April 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 3, 1943 inarinmcfrnitu 0F ELASEEEQTUBUHARL .QGARMEN'IS.

In Great in biliary-2g ra Robert-Pickles and 'J'ohn-Bickles,. v .Burnley; Englandaanrlicatio latrirlo,1943; seriarui..4s2,5;es-"

I Y a dame. 1.;2' a9 The object of the invention is}, the provision er-* a new or improved method of. manufacturin elastic hosierm'and'other shaped tubulargarments such as roll-on corsets. andl vests, such method bein capable of achievingcheaper. p'roduction than has hithertolbeen possible. bythe knitting processes hitherto common y empl ye for the purpose. whilst the'liability to laddering inherent in knitted articlesis avoided] H 'Ihe'method according to] the [invention .jconsists"; in weaving "the. garment in} tubular form, using elastic weft threads, thenumberof warp endsv lifted bei proer ssive ymodined at p determined intervals so as to effect sucnvariations in width as are requisitetoproduce the, de-

sired shape of the article, e. g at the calf or ankle of a "stockin a dth exnosediunw ven vPo tions of, the warp threads being subsequently'severed. Garments may be manufactured in accordance with the inventionby. weaving a continuous tubular fabric and subsequently dividing the same transversely into-individual lengths each including a full repeat of the pattern, such lengths each constituting an independent stocking or the like. 1

During the weaving operation a pattern repeat is produced by weaving in all the warp ends for a predetermined number of picks, then decreasing the number of the warp ends lifted progressively until the desired minimum width is attained;

weaving at minimum width is continued for a predetermined number of picks, wherea-iter the number of warp ends lifted is increased to the full number so as to resume weaving at maximum width, whereupon the n xt repeat commences- The manner in which the invention may be carried into efiect inthe manufacture of elastic stockings is hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 is 'a representation of a length of hose fabric as woven in accordance with the invention, includ ing a number of repeats; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the fabric drawn toa larger scale, showing the manner in which the warp ends are progressively decreased to produce the desired variation in shape; and Fig. 3 a fragi d'by t e Ja qua d m 'iv'ely d reas rcf sides of the fabric,

shed being 'lifte la e numera s 4? feren e m r f main unwoven;

selectingfcards whereof" arepunched accordg e w t the patte $11QW11- i After Weaving. a suflicient lengt f 9e at' xifbm thawrr e d anismare" progresidth. emanate 13 se 7 gradually attains its minimum Width t Weaving proceeds at the c r se wnihi i C tbia i a length ii t in he ankle and: i9 1?- P'Q Qn of thestocking. wherea iter a fresh-repeat is I commenced, the f l ber- 'of warp ends in the rther cycles of operation are new o si r i a neat dasg to be woven.

e. lifted. and t rwhere -tney are ai oyveq :to rej acli-r'epeat has reac1id the cloth rcller of the loom, it may be severed transversely from the remaining piece along the lines AA, A A etc.

and the exposed unwoven portions of the warp,

indicated generally by the reference 4' in Fig. 1, may then be clipped off by hand. The seam-like formation along the line at which the warp ends are clipped off may be concealed by embroidering a clock or fancy pattern 8 over the same.

Each repeat cut off between successivelines AA, A A etc. constitutes ,a single stocking length as shown in Fig. 4, and the raw'edge at the up-.

per or wider end is subsequently hemmed as at 9 (Fig. 6) to prevent unravelling of the terminal wefts. The narrow end of the stocking length is cut to a shape substantially as indicated at l9,

and the edges are then secured together to close the toe. 7

According to the jacquard warp-selecting card 7 pattern illustrated'in Fig. 3, the warp ends are arranged to be decreased in groups of two after" each fourth pick; It will however be understood that any other suitable arrangement may be em ployed to effect a gradual decrease and increase in widthsuch as willenablethe stocking to'fit neatly upon the wearers' calf and ankle. It is of course unnecessary that the shaping of the fabric should. take place simultaneously or symmetrically on both sides. v I

The warp threads may be of cotton, rayon or fine wool and the elastic weft is conveniently composed of textile (e. g. cotton or rayon) and india-rubber latex filaments combined by the method described in our British Patent Specifica- V from both are denotedby tlie-refeb ii 51 etc: In Fig. '3iithe' i patternishows at 6'; dw-here the were ends are'to tion No. 443,188. The weft threads may be adapted for weaving by preliminary subjection to a fixation treatment similar to that described in British Patent Specification No. 497,518, the fixing agent being subsequently discharged from the woven article by immersion in a suitable solvent, torrestore the full elasticity of therubber component of the material. 7 r

The heel may be made by slitting across the back of the fabric, as at H (Figs. 4 and 5) and inserting between the separated. edges of the slit a separate previously woven piece l2 of elastic. V

fabric of single ply, said inserted portion 12 being shaped so as to constitute a seat to enclose .the

wearers heel, and its edges being seamed to the divided edges of the fabric along the slit II. Whereas the stocking fabric is made elastic in a transverse or weftwise direction, the material forming the heel-portion I2 is preferably arranged so as to be elastic in a direction lengthwise of the stocking. x

. All the severed edges of the fabric are preferably bound to prevent fraying. .Elastic'thread should be used for this purposef'unlessthe fabric is held under tension along the length of the edge duringthe binding operation, in which case inelastic binding material maybe used. f

Garments manufactured by this method are not liable to the defect of laddering which is characteristic of knitted fabrics. Further, it is i not essential to provide strengthened fabric tops seesaw the length of the garment, the unwoven portions of the warp threads being severed and detached.

, 2.- A woven elastic'stocking as claimed in claim 1, having inelastic textile warp'threads and rubbar-textile weft threads, the number of the warps interwoven with the wefts being progressively decreased throughout the calf-portion of the stocking and the ankle and foot portions being woven at minimum width, said stocking having a heel-portion inserted in and seamed to the edges of a transverse slit in the back of the stocking and having the lower end seamed across to close the toe.

' '3. A woven elastic stocking as. claimed in claim .1, having inelastic textile warp threads and rubber-textile weft threads, the number of the warps interwoven with the wefts being progressively decreased throughout "the calf-portion of the stocking and the ankle and foot. portions being Woven at minimum width, said stocking. having a heel-portion-inserted'in'and seamedto.

the edges of a transverse slit'in' the back of the stocking andhaving the lower end seamed across to close the toe andwherein fancy clock patterns are embroidered over those parts ofthe stocking r at which the unwoven'portions of the warpare clipped off. I H I ,7.

4. An elastic stocking'as claimed in claim 1, having inelastic textile warp-threads and elastic weft threads woven to form a tubular'fabric decreased in widththroughout thecalf, ankleand foot portion's of the stocking, a heel portion inserted in a transverse slit in the'back of the fabric and'seamed at its edges to the edgesof said s1it,.said heel-portion being elastic, in the directionlengthwise of the'stocking, and a closed toe formed by seaming across the lower end "of th'e fabric. f

' ROBERT PICKLES. JOHN PICKLES; 

